Augesen and other citizens around the state of Wisconsin may lose local control of mining sites in their communities. Currently, municipalities may regulate air and water standards appropriate for each location. If this bill passes, that power would transfer to the state, leaving “our hands tied to protect our children” from silica dust and other hazards says Augesen.

The Proposed Vista frac sand mine is less than a quarter mile from Glenwood City’s school.

The Proposed Vista frac sand mine is less than a half mile from Glenwood City’s school.

In Glenwood City, WI, where a 400-acre frac sand mine is proposed less than ½ mile from the public school of 650 children, Augesen claims she would rather leave the area than risk her children’s health, “even if that meant walking away from our home.” Augesen says she wouldn’t want to make the decision to go into foreclosure on her family’s home, but “if it meant my kids’ health, then yeah, I would do it.”

Adding a sense of urgency is the discovery by Glenwood area residents that silica dust was recently discovered in a neighboring town’s school air filter. A recent study by UW- Eau Claire’s Crispin Pierce Ph.D. reveals that silica particles were discovered in the school air filter in New Auburn, a community which has several frac sand mine operations.

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There should laws against having any mine within 5-10 miles from any school. Mines are no place for kids to walk past or be near.

The sand from this mine will go to a hydraulic fracturing well like they have in Oklahoma. Oklahoma has had 175 earthquakes this year, 612 quakes the last 4 years, only 50 quakes the 16 years before that. OK is the #2 supplier of oil & gas in the states. They have 11,100 waste wells that pump into the earth, around 9 billion gallions of wastewater, oil, gas and chemicals pumped every 2 years. HF mines are 6km deep and 2km wide. 55% of earthquakes in OK are 5km deep and almost all quakes are in the same area.

This sand mine supports the dangerous HF mines in other states. Those people are linked to us in WI. We have family and friends in OK along with other states. Any harm or damage that happens from future HF mines in OK or else were will be partly on the heads of those who voted for the sand mines here in WI.

What does the community get? The busnesses that go broke because of it. The damage to property caused from it. The people that get ill. The wild life it endangers. They get nothing from it not even a tax break. You can do better than this.